News

30 January 2014

Roshydromet support for Winter Olympic Games “Sochi-2014”

The XXII Olympic / XI Paralympic Games «Sochi-2014» will be held in Sochi, Russia, on February 8-23 and/ March 7-16, 2014, respectively. Roshydromet (the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring) is responsible for providing hydrological and meteorological support and services to ensure the safety of the guests and participants and the smooth running of the Games.

The city of Sochi is located at approximately 44°N, 40°E on the Black sea coast. Sochi Olympic venues are separated between two clusters: a coastal cluster for ice sport competitions and a mountain cluster for snow sport events.

Roshydromet, supported by the international meteorological community, is responsible for three main activities — meteorological services, avalanche risk advisories and environmental pollution monitoring. Roshydromet is also providingaviation meteorological forecasts to ensure the safety and efficiency of air transport during the period of the Olympic Games.

Meteorological observations: Preparations started in 2010. Specialists Roshydromet, together with operators of sporting venues, updated the network of meteorological observations, including automatic and mobile meteorological stations, and radar equipment. All data arrives in Roshydromet’s main database centres in Sochi and the reserve in Rostov-on-Don.

The forecasting systems were organized and tested, with regular training workshops for forecasters since 2010. Significant support was provided by the WMO World Weather Research Programme’s Research and Development Project (RDP)/Forecast Demonstration Project (FDP) FROST-2014, led by the Hydrometcenter of Russia. The FROST-2014 project is focused on nowcasting, a regional numerical short-term weather forecast which is especially useful for sporting events which can be impacted by localized conditions of a very short duration.

Participants of the project include members of international consortia on mesoscale (small-scale) modeling, Environment Canada, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics of Austria (ZAMG), the Korean Meteorological Administration, the Meteorological Institute of Finland.

Avalanche risk. The Krasnaya Polyana mountain cluster of Sochi is among the Russian regions with a high avalanche risk and heavy snowfalls. Since 1 November 2013, there has been constant monitoring of avalanche processes on mountain slopes.

Nearly 100 avalanche stations across the Aibga Ridge are equipped with technology which can trigger controlled avalanches to minimize the risk to competitors and spectators. In addition, there are a series of avalanche dams up to 12 meters high and more than 100 meters long.

Environmental Monitoring. In accordance with the requirements of the International Olympic Committee, Roshydromet organized and put into operation a system of integrated environmental monitoring of the Sochi National Park and adjacent territories. The System includes automatic and mobile stations for observation of atmospheric pollution and surface water.